Belle - The second migration, 2012-2013
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This is the track for Belle's second migration to Brazil, down in 2012 and his return in 2013.
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Move the gray rectangular slider at the bottom of the interactive map to animate Belle's movements.You can zoom in and out and move the map around. Hover the cursor over "Satellite" in the upper left and click the box for "Labels." Notes: As you move the time slider at the bottom of the map, you cam click on the green dot for location details. |
Details:
Belle began his second migration south on 20 September 2012. He arrived at the Rio Madeira on 28 October, 39 days later. Armed with the knowledge that he didn't have to migrate 1,200 miles across the open Atlantic Ocean to get to the Caribbean, he began his sojourn travelling west along Long Island, NY, and then followed the mid-Atlantic coast as far as North Carolina. He flew out over the water across the Georgia Bight down to the Bahamas, and then flew more or less directly to winter HQ on the Madeira River in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Norte.
Zoom in on his winter locations and compare that to what he did on his first trip south. All the next winters will look exactly the same. Ospreys find a spot with a lot of fish and go back to it every year.
His second trip north began on 25 March. It took him 33 days to get back to the Cape and Islands region of southeastern Massachusetts. Note his detour in Haiti to Lake Azuei. This is a rift-valley, below-sea-level lake where he likes to stop to fish. After leaving Haiti and heading to Cuba, he makes the turn for Florida a bit sooner than he had to, so he covered a bit more open water than most adults do. Experienced birds know when it's time to turn north to make the shortest possible crossing of the Florida Straits, arriving in the Keys.
(Scroll up for interactive map)